RTNJ News - Randolph Township Schools

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RTNJ NEWS
Randolph Township Schools Newsletter
Upcoming Events:
July 1: Community School Online
Childcare Registration Begins for
2016-17 school
year
Congratulations Class of 2016!
Randolph High School said goodbye to the class of 2016 at a beautiful commencement ceremony outside on June 21.
The Randolph Board of Education awarded
diplomas to 426 seniors who threw their
caps in the air in celebration at John J. Bauer
Memorial Stadium.
July 4: Independence Day Schools and Summer Camps Closed RHS Principal Debbie Iosso congratulated
the students and told them to “create your
July 5: Communi- own happiness” as parents cheered in celety School Summer bration. Valedictorian Katherine Miao, who
Camps Session 2
is off to Princeton University, and salutatoriBegins
an Matthew Rosenblatt, who plans to study
at the University of Pittsburgh, gave heartJuly 11: Commuwarming speeches. Matthew even took a
nity School Summer Camps Session 3
Young Rembrandts Art classes Begin
Super Science
Workshops
Summer Strings,
Piano & Guitar
Program Begins
June 30,
2016
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selfie with his class behind him and quoted Star
Wars while Katherine made many references to
Harry Potter and spoke of her wonderful memories at RHS. All speakers encouraged students to
keep in touch with their fellow graduates and
teachers.
Senior Class President Sydney Myers told students
to reflect on their past and look forward to the
future. “Once a Ram, always a Ram at heart,” she
said.
BOE FFT Meeting
Randolph Middle School Eighth Graders Graduate
July 18: Community School Summer Camps Session 4 Begins
On Monday, June 20, 426 eighth graders graduated from Randolph Middle School
in a beautiful ceremony outside at John J. Bauer Memorial Stadium.
Super Science
Workshops
Young Rembrandts
Summer Strings,
Piano & Guitar
SGA President Adam Gellert told students
that “today is not only a special day for us,
but for your family as well.”
He also encouraged students “not to follow
the crowd.”
Teachers from all four eighth grade teams
presented diplomas to each student.
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Board of Education Appoints New Administrators
At its meeting on June 14, the Randolph Board of Education approved the appointment of three new administrators for the 2016-17 school year.
The board approved Jeffrey DiLollo, the Interim Supervisor of Athletics and Student Activities and Supervisor
of Physical Education at West Morris Central High
School in Chester, as the district’s new Athletic Director and Supervisor of Health and Physical Education. DiLollo w ill replace Jesse Spencer. DiLollo
will assume his new the position on July 1. (DiLollo is
pictured right with Assistant Athletic Director Marybeth
Foran, who welcomed him to the district at the June 14 board
meeting.)
“I am thrilled to be joining the Randolph community,”
he said, adding he is looking forward to working at a district so committed to exceptional education and
the growth of its students.
DiLollo has a master of arts in educational leadership and Supervision and Principal certifications from the
College of St. Elizabeth and a bachelor of arts in education from Seton Hall University.
In addition, the board approved Stacy Winters as the new high school STEM Supervisor, replacing Michael
Cascione who retired June 30. Winters was a math teacher at Chatham High School. She has a masters degree in
education from the College of New Jersey and a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Colgate University.
Winters, who graduated from Randolph High School and
lives in Bridgewater, will start her new position July 1.
(She is pictured left.) “I graduated here almost 20 years
ago to pursue math education. It is exciting to be back
and to lead a department of dynamic STEM teachers.
This is an exciting time to be in education with advancements in technology and 21st century education.”
In addition, the board named Katherine Thorn as the new
Elementary Supervisor Grades K-5. Thorn is the Supervisor of Technology Instruction and Integration at the Roseland School District, a K-6 elementary district.
Thorn replaces Katie Spencer. She will begin her new position on August 15.
Thorn has a masters of arts in educational leadership from Caldwell University and bachelor of arts from
Ramapo College of New Jersey.
Thorn said she is very excited to return to Randolph
after teaching at Fernbrook Elementary School from
2012-15. (Thorn is pictured, right.)
"It is with great honor and tremendous privilege that I
rejoin the Randolph community as the Elementary Supervisor,” Thorn said. “I look forward to again uniting
with the passionate and dedicated Board of Education,
administrative team, faculty, staff, and community in a
unified direction of 21st century learning and student
success. I am committed to working collaboratively to
uphold Randolph’s outstanding reputation, as well as
progressing with innovations, concepts, and ideas that
can be integrated into our curriculum, instructional
practice, and social-emotional programming."
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RHS Graduation-Good Luck Class of 2016!
Scenes from RHS Senior Prom at the Sheraton Tara
RHS Art Honor Society Unveils New Library Mural
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The Randolph High School chapter of the National Art Honor Society unveiled its World War II propaganda mural
which its members painted for the Randolph High School Library. The mural is based on a 1943 poster which asks
people to donate books to the library .
“I love it,” said RHS Librarian Steve Cullis. “It is absolutely gorgeous. It came out better than I ever could have
imagined. The colors are so bright and vibrant.”
Art Honors Society advisor Steve Coleman said the project was a wonderful collaboration between the library,
the honor society, history and visual arts. ”It is really
fitting for our school,” he said, adding there is talk of
future projects for the library to be created by the art
honor society.
“This project combines art and history together,” said
Claire McLagan, a society member.
RHS students study art like this in the high school’s art
history class “Art as a Democracy,” noted honor society
vice president Jennifer Schaffer.
(Pictured left to right, advisor Steve Coleman, historian
Mara Alvarado, Emily Higgins, vice president Jennifer
Schaffer, president Bridget Mahey, secretary Jenn Szwedski, Claire McLagan and RHS Librarian Steven Cullis.)
Red Bull Visits Saturday Program
Red Bulls defender Aurelien Collin visited the Saturday program at
Fernbrook Elementary School earlier this month to teach students
a little bit about soccer and the importance of education.
Collin demonstrated some of his soccer moves, taught the children
in grades K-5 some soccer skills and then spoke about his love for
soccer and his career. Collin, who is from a suburb of Paris, played
for a few different major league soccer teams before coming to the
Red Bulls this season. “I played soccer all my life,” he said. “When
I learned how to walk, I played football.”
Collin told children that they are lucky in America “because you can
still study and play the sport that you love.”
Register for Randolph Community
School Childcare and Camps
The Randolph Community School is moving to a new
online registration system for its fall childcare registration. Registration will begin July 1. Please visit rtnj.org
for details.
The Community School also has a few openings left in
its three summer camps: Summer Kids (grades K-1),
Summer Stars (grades 2-5) and Camp Discovery Travel
(grades 5-8). Give your child the summer to remember
before space runs out. We offer eight one-week sessions through August 19. Summer Kids and
Summer Stars are conveniently located at Fernbrook Elementary School while Camp Discovery
Travel is located at Randolph Middle School.
New this summer: dance, improv, jewelry making and more athletics and new field trips to exciting places. Camp Discovery Travel now offers three fun trips per week!
The Community School also offers Young Rembrandts art workshops at Shongum and Center
Grove schools, Super Science workshops at Shongum School and Summer Strings, Guitar and
Piano Camp at RHS. For more information, please visit rtnj.org and click on Community School.
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BOE Honors Retirees
The Randolph Board of Education honored the
district’s retirees for the 2015-16 school year at
its meeting on June 14.
Interim Superintendent Jennifer A. Fano and
Board of Education President Al Matos recognized each retiree and presented them with a
certificate at the board meeting. Afterwards, the
retirees enjoyed a special cake. (The board of
education and Ms. Fano congratulate the retirees, left.)
Ms. Iosso Congratulates Valedictorian and Salutatorian
Randolph High School Principal Debbie Iosso announced that Katherine Miao is the valedictorian
for the Class for 2016 and Matthew Rosenblatt
is the salutatorian.
Katherine, who plans to attend Princeton University in the fall, said she was very excited to
be recognized. Matthew, who plans to attend
the University of Pittsburgh, was also thrilled
with the honor.
Ironia Genius Hour
Ironia fourth and fifth graders took turns
making special scientific presentations
on everything from volcanos (even making a model volcano erupt) to batteries
in the school’s special genius hour program in June.
(Students make a volcano erupt, below.)
Rockapalooza
Randolph Middle School students played soccer and volleyball as well as various amusement games and a dunk tank and enjoyed
refreshments at the school’s annual Rockapalooza event.
(Students enjoy some of the games above.)
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Preschool Donuts for Dad
Children in the Randolph Preschool at
Center Grove Elementary School invited
fathers to a special “Donuts for Dad” program just in time for Father’s Day. Children and their fathers enjoyed donuts
and juice in the school cafeteria.
Elementary School fun
Students at all four elementary schools
enjoyed school picnics and fun days in
June where students went outside,
formed teams and played games.
(Shongum, left, Center Grove students with
the parachute, below left, Fernbrook, below
right and Ironia, below right with the balls.)
RMS Field Days
Randolph Middle School sixth, seventh and
eighth grades took turns enjoying field
days. (Left, 8th graders run around searching for their sneakers.)
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RHS Mass Media Department Showcases
Student Work at 19th Annual Film Festival
It was an evening celebrating film. The best work of
Randolph High School mass media students was showcased and recognized at Randolph High School's 19th
Annual Film Festival.
Families, teachers and friends came to the event on
June 1 which started at 4:30 p.m. for screenings of all
of the films featured in the festival. Many students entered their films and mass media teachers Robert Finning and Noah Galembo selected the best films nominated for the festival. Following the screenings, the 500
people in attendance enjoyed a buffet dinner donated
by many of Randolph's restaurants and parents. (Mr. Finning and Mr. Galembo with some winners left.)
Afterwards, it was time for the awards ceremony in the high school auditorium where seniors Ryan Taggert, the video club president, and Vincent D'Alessandro served as masters of ceremony and showed
their humorous intro film of the two of them escaping from a comic book to host the festival. Many
mass media students and video club students served as award presenters at the ceremony. For a full
list of award winners, please click here. Some of the
award-winning films are also available for viewing on
the rtnj.org website. (Mr. Finning with senior winners, right.)
RHS Mass Media teacher Robert Finning also presented
the following senior scholarships at the film festival:
The Academic Mass Media Award for the student with
the highest GPA: $1,000 to Gabby Cecala; CAMERAS
Scholarship for Best overall mass media student who
has participated in program for four years: $1,000 to
Vincent D'Alesandro; RamParts Scholarship for the
senior who has contributed the most to RAMParts Productions: $1,000 to Zach Harrell; Video Club, the senior who has contributed the most to video club and the
RHS Film Festival $500: Ryan Taggert.
Student Nominated for
Emmy Awards
RHS senior Ryan Taggert was nominated
for two student Emmy awards for his documentary “Through One Lens” about how
he overcome losing his sight in one eye to
become a successful filmmaker and athlete
and his music video titled “Stop the Bullying,” which was used in an RHS program.
RHS Jazz Sextet Performed at Carnegie Hall
The RHS Jazz Sextet, pictured below playing music at the film festival, had the honor of performing at Carnegie Hall.
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REF Hosts Successful 5K
A record number of 666 runners and
walkers registered for the Randolph
Rocks 5K and 605 of them finished
the race on Saturday June, 18. The
event, organized by the Randolph Education Foundation (REF), was supported by more than 65 businesses
and local merchants and raised
$27,000 to support the students and
the teachers in the Randolph Schools.
Since 2010, the Randolph Education Foundation has organized the annual 5K as an effort to bring the community
together to raise funds to support innovative programs that enrich the educational experience of the students in
Randolph Schools. “We are very grateful for the many ways in which volunteers, sponsors, the school district, the
teachers, the students, the township and its residents have contributed to the success of the Randolph Rocks 5K.”
said Race Director and REF President Margaret Clark. “It is the support of this great community that encourages
the REF to continue to work creating opportunities that inspire teachers to innovate and enable all of our students
to thrive.”
Awards were presented in more than a dozen categories, including top male and female runners, top male and female
Randolph residents, and top male and female Randolph teacher
or staff members. First place overall for men went to Collin
Frost of Randolph who completed the 5K in 16:19 minutes.
Carole Harsch of Randolph finished in 19:18 minutes, obtaining
the first place overall for women. Andrew Hurd, Director of Facilities for the Randolph Township District and 2015 Randolph
Rock Star Administrator of the Year, was the top male staff
member, with a time of 28:44 minutes. Fernbrook School aide,
Heather Keaney was the top female staff member for the second year in a row with a time of 23:05 minutes. The Randolph
Resident winner in the male category was James Keaney, who
completed the 5K in 18:45 minutes. Kaley O’Meara, who finished in 22:40 minutes, won in the female category. Results for
the race were tabulated by Elite Racing Systems and are available on the REF website: randolpheducationfoundation.org. Numerous door prizes, donated by local businesses and community members were given away at the race. The grand
prize, a Trek 820 Bike valued at $375 and donated by Claire Keller, Drs. Fusco and Caravano, Runner’s Heaven and
Marty’s Reliable Cycle, was won by RHS student Cameron Rauchberg. A team of more than 60 volunteers led by
Sue Adler and Laura Dagostino managed registration tables and kept runners on course. Members of the Shongum Girls on the Run Club staffed the
water stop. Randolph Mayor, Roman
B. Hirniak, accompanied by Deputy
Mayor Christine Carey, welcomed
runners at the start line and wished
them luck. Jennifer A. Fano, Interim
Superintendent and 2014 Rock Star
Administrator of the Year, walked the
course with several staff members,
and after the race presented the
awards for the Randolph Residents
and Randolph Teacher/Staff Members
categories. (photos, top left, the
Helmer family from Shongum ran the
race. Runners on Millbrook Avenue, above right. REF officers and 5K volunteers, above left, the Shongum Girls on
the Run Club, above left, and Ms. Fano with winners Andrew Hurd and Heather Keaney, above.)
District Communications
Center Grove Wax Museum
Please note that Randolph Township
Schools will be moving to a new
Connect5I communications alert
system for the 2016-17 school
year. An email will be sent to parents in August with further details
regarding the change. Stay tuned.
Center Grove students learned about historic figures when they visited
the fourth grade’s wax museum.
Fourth graders dressed up as President
Obama, Betsy Ross (Mia Cepada is
dressed in costume as Betsy Ross, left,
and makes a presentation), Walt Disney, and many other historic celebrities in the classrooms and school hallways.
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Musical Groups Honored
Several Randolph Middle School musical groups were recognized at the Music in the Parks festival in Kutztown, PA. The Con Brio group received first place in their division. (Jackie and Josephine Wu are pictured below right representing Con Brio.) The students pictured, below left,
represent all of the other middle school award-winning ensembles: the 7th and 8th Grade
Choir, Canzonetta or select choir,7th Grade Orchestra, 8th Grade Orchestra, Con Brio, 7th
Grade Band, 8th Grade Band, Jazz Ensemble and Percussion Ensemble.
AP Environmental Science Students Work with MS Students
AP Environmental Science Students visited Randolph Middle School to conduct experiments with
seventh
grade science students. The
students
were fishermen and
needed to
figure out
how to
make money.
Sunflower Planting
AP Environmental students also planted sunflower
seedlings to help beautify the grounds around Randolph High School
earlier this spring.
This was a class
project at the
bottom of the
student parking
lot.
Mass Media, TV Production Students Go Live
Randolph High School mass media and TV production
students went live in May with the RHS morning announcements. Mass media teacher Robert Finning
said the department will continue its live announcements during homeroom in the 2016-17 school year.
RMS Reading Project
Students in Bonnie Sue Bastin’s RMS language arts
classes participated in a “Read to Feed-Send a Cow”
project to inspire
reading and to
help raise money
for African families
and communities.
(Cassandra Vroman,
who raised $430, is
pictured presenting a
check to the community food pantry.)
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RMS Students Conduct Field Study of Local Stream
Middle School students took to the trails on Monday, June 13 for a field study. ESL students,
Sustainability students, and Green Schools students went into the local Randolph Trails with
educators from the Raritan Headwaters Association in order to conduct a field study to evaluate the stream for pollution, said ESL Teacher Michelle Land.
The students observed the environment, took measurements, and then found samples of macroinvertebrates in the stream. After recording all of the data, they were able to evaluate the
stream based on their findings. This year, the water quality was rated as fair to good. This
was due to the low number of macroinvertebrates found that are sensitive to pollution, an indication that there may be some pollutants in the streams. Land said the students will continue to monitor this as it is important for our local environment. (Students, educators and parents take samples for the study below, right and left.)
Option II Showcase
Randolph High School students enrolled in the Option II
program made presentations of their projects at a special
showcase in June at the high school. RHS Principal Debbie Iosso spoke to parents about the program and encouraged more students to participate in the unique
hands-on learning program at RHS. (Below Miranda
Meade with her Seeing Eye puppy and her instructor at
the showcase.)
Scenes from the Senior Picnic!